Dan,
You hit item #1 on 4 ways for improvements. Pleasing customers comes first, without them we don’t exist in a business world. the other reality as you know you can’t please everyone! We try our best in pleasing them when it comes to Bosses! Surely if the Boss understands customers they will see the final return. “Micro-managing” can cause more conflict than it’s worth sometimes, but ROI has to be met to succeed.
For us, it is the understanding the customer’s needs and the components the workers need to do the job correctly.

Thanks Tim. Your mention of micro-managing caught my eye. I think hierarchy lends itself to micro-managing. Mostly because fear of making mistakes is powerful in tight command and control environments.

Dan, Absolutely micro-managing is part of the portfolio, as “mistakes” cost everyone! The Hierarchy typically gets the brunt of it till it works its way down the pecking order! Leaders need to pay attention to the details constantly for the end result to be a clean solution. Often times the “fluff factor” does not exist, they need concise information to complete the end results.

Problem we see is “Leadership Concepts and Training” are not viewed often as something Directors need. Director Blind Spots. It is as if they believe they have reached a hierarchical position based on their competence. I’m a director so I must not need Leadership Training. Obviously I am competent, as a Director, so training does not apply to me. It applies to those ‘below’ me.

Unfortunately, when training is given to those ‘below’ they see the value in the concepts and application AND then the absence of Directors applying those concepts.

How to influence/pull directors into the training is a big challenge. Job titles can get in the way.

Thanks Will. Brilliant observation. It’s unfortunate when upper management doesn’t keep working to develop themselves. It’s easy to allow the day to day pressures of leadership to be the reason we don’t pour into our own cups. If we aren’t careful we become complacent, even arrogant.

It’s important for organizational leaders to model the way when it comes to leadership development.

HEY Dan. Thanks for the endorsement. I have shared it with the person I share Leadership Training with. We have a great team of 2 and these type of comments come when external processing occurs. The good thing also is we give it time to brew, stew, simmer and eventually produce clarity. Never in a hurry! I am going to encourage her to start commenting as well.

Dan, Nailed it! I have been frustrated with the devils of hierarchy myself. Your comment “Reporting gets out of hand. Leaders feel pressure to know everything that’s happening” is absolutely on point. I have peers who spend so much time “keeping in the loop” with their subordinates that the subordinates barely have time to get away and focus. Talk about helicopter parenting! I did that too, for a long time. And then one day, I learned to face the fear of “saying I don’t know.” I now say this to my bosses who want the status, “I am sorry! I don’t know the details from today but will get back to you with more. What would you like to know and by when?”

Two further, major problems around hierarchies are that they are very often very risk-averse. Not losing is far more important than winning.

Another is that delegation is often very limited, which stifles flexibility and the ability to react.

Cross-group teams can get mired because they are accountable *to everyone* and have no authority *from anyone*, hence many good ideas are generated which are never implemented, killing enthusiasm and innovation.

Hierarchies, because of their closely-defined lines of responsibility, also tend not to support the idea that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission.

Thanks Mitch. I can tell you speak from experience. Pointing out the problem of cross functional teams is important. We get enamored with the term ‘cross functional’. That’s why it’s imperative to give them authority along with a mission to fulfill. If they have to run everything up the chain of command, you just added another layer of hierarchy.

When giving teams authority, values and a clear mission/project to complete with a timeline/deadline are also essential. In any case, it takes patience and persistence to make a ding in a dysfunctional hierarchy.

I think a few pockets of freedom are possible if the leader in those areas is confident and willing to take risks.

Nice. I see hierarchies as being a lot less “messy” insofar as getting things done in most organizations. But, at the same time, I think that the issue is more about, pardon the expression, “Freaking Leadership!” — The first thought that I had in reading was the reality, “I’m the boss!” with the appropriate response, “Yes, you certainly are.” — this connected to that organizational reality that BOSS spelled backwards is self-explanatory when it comes to listening skills and the ability to accept new ideas…

You get me thinkin’ most times, Dan. Keep up the good work.

But, the question is, “HOW do we get these kinds of things from thoughts to actions?”

Thanks for the post. I think that best part of having a hierarchy is your third point. When it hits the fan it is good to have one person to look to, to solve the problem, instead of having 10 people give their opinion. The issue will be resolved more quickly if one person is in charge.

Interesting recommendations. Would like to add that hierarchical organizations also fail because we have people in leadership roles who don’t know how to lead by setting an example, articulating clear expectations, and then getting out of the way to let their managers do the job they were hired to do. Most of your “tips” wouldn’t be necessary if executives learned to manage something other than board members and stock prices.R